The Panama Jazz Festival was founded in September 2003 by Panamanian Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Pérez.
A Fulbright Scholar, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Cultural Ambassador of Panama, and educator, founder of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music, (MA, USA), Perez founded the festival with the mission of bettering the lives of people through shared musical experiences as listeners, on stage and in the classrooms. [1] Perez’s stated vision for the event is that "By offering performances and educational activities of the highest order, as well as practical, hands on training in the music and entertainment business, the Panama Jazz Festival aims to inspire and educate while providing tools and opportunities to build a better future for individuals and their communities." [2]
As such, and while the Festival annually offers a rich program of concerts by leading international jazz musicians, the emphasis is on music education. It has become the largest music education event in the region.
The Panama Jazz Festival provides a week of master classes by some of the finest institutions in the field, including Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, the Golandsky Piano Institute, and the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. The event has also become a center for auditions for admissions and scholarships for the participating institutions.
Other institutions that have participated in the festival include the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the University of Massachusetts, the Sienna Jazz Foundation, and the Paris Conservatory. [3]
In just seven years, the festival has become a cultural tourism attraction that has already enticed to Panama more than 100,000 people from all over the world. The Festival has also announced more than 1,000,000 dollars in scholarships and more than 10,000 students, many of them international, have taken advantage of the Festival’s educational programs. [4]
Some of the artists featured in the festival include The Wayne Shorter Quartet, Chucho Valdés Quartet, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Rubén Blades, Randy Weston, Kenny Barron, Nnenna Freelon, Mike Stern, Lizz Wright, Jack DeJohnette, Stanley Jordan, Billy Cobham, and Ellis Marsalis.[2]
The festival supports the year-round educational programs of Danilo Perez Foundation, which brings art and music to children from extremely poor communities in the Republic of Panama.
Contents |
| YEAR | ARTIST | INSTRUMENT | ORIGIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Danilo Perez Trio | Piano, Bass, Drum | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Kenny Barron | Piano | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Mike Stern | Guitar | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| 2005 | Jack Dejohnette | Drum and Piano | USA | *Grammy Award Winner |
| Carlos Garnett | Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Charlie Hunter | Guitar | USA | ||
| Joe Lovano | Tenor Saxophone | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| John Patitucci | Double bass and Electric bass | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Danilo Perez Sr. | Voice | Panama | ||
| Janis Siegel | Voice | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Barbara Wilson | Voice | Panama | ||
| Carlos Garnett | Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Kurt Rosenwinkel | Guitar | USA | ||
| David Sánchez | Saxophone | Puerto Rico | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Mark Turner | Saxophone and Clarinet | USA | ||
| 2006 | Randy Weston (feat. Alex Blake, Neil Clarke) | Piano | USA | |
| David Sánchez | Saxophone | Puerto Rico | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Kurt Rosenwinkel | Guitar | USA | ||
| Mark Turner | Saxophone and Clarinet | USA | ||
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Carlos Garnett | Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| 2007 | Edmar Castañeda | Harp | Colombia | |
| Nnenna Freelon | Voice | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Carlos Garnett | Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Panamanian Band (feat. Danilo Perez, Billy Cobham, Santi Debriano, Jorge Sylvester, Renato Thoms) | Piano, Bass, Drum, Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Victor Paz | Trumpet | Panama | ||
| Banda Tributo a Chile (feat. Patricia Zarate, Mili Bermejo, Francisco Molina, Nando Michelin, Dan Greenspan) | Saxophone | Chile | ||
| 2008 | Tia Fuller | Saxophone | USA | *A formal touring band member of Beyoncé |
| Kelley Johnson | Voice | USA | ||
| Stanley Jordan | Guitar | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Catherine Russell | Voice | USA | ||
| Dave Samuels (Caribbean Jazz Project) | Vibraphone | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| 2009 | Wayne Shorter Quartet (feat. Brian Blade, Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci) | Saxophone, Piano, Drum, Bass | USA | *Grammy Award Winner |
| Luba Mason (feat. Rubén Blades, Jimmy Haslip, Hubert Laws) | Voice | |||
| Marco Pignataro Quintet (feat. Eddie Gómez) | Saxophone | Italy | ||
| Chucho Valdés | Piano | Cuba | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| 2010 | Lizz Wright | Voice | USA | |
| Carlos Garnett | Tenor Saxophone | Panama | ||
| Jamey Haddad | Percussion | USA | ||
| Joe Lovano | Tenor saxophone | USA | *Grammy Award Winner | |
| Terri Lyne Carrington | Drum and Voice | USA | *Grammy Award Nominee | |
| Ellis Marsalis | Piano | USA | ||
| Juanito Pascual | Guitar | USA | ||
| John Patitucci | Double bass and Electric bass | USA | *Grammy Award Winner |
An important part of the festival is music education, and all invited artists teach master classes in the “Music Clinics”, where students from all parts of Latin America and the world come together to learn from the international masters of jazz. Among the international artists that have given lectures are Wayne Shorter, Chucho Valdez, Jack De Johnette, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Randy Weston, Brian Blade, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Nnenna Freelon, Kenny Barron, Marco Pignataro, Eddie Gomez, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Stanley Jordan, Janis Siegel, David Sanchez, Charlie Hunter, Tia Fuller, and many more.[3] [11]
The Panama Jazz Festival has also offered master classes on Panamanian Folklore, dance, classical music (with renowned national and international musicians and the best groups from the New England Conservatory), literature, production and engineering (thanks to the Berklee College of Music Production and Engineering Department), and many other subjects.[3][11]
Each year, the festival invites prestigious institutions to audition and recruit students from all over Latin America and the world. At present time the Panama Jazz Festival is the largest recruiting space in Latin America for admissions and scholarships for some of the best music schools in the Americas including Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, Golandsky Piano Institute at Princeton University.[3][11]
| YEAR | ARTIST | OCCUPATION | LEGACY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Luis Russell (1902–1963) | Pianist | Musical Director for Louis Armstrong’s band since 1935. Performed with King Oliver, Red Allen, and Jelly Roll Morton. |
| 2005 | Victor Boa (1925-2004) | Pianist | Known as the "High Priest of Jazz" and "Master of the Keyboard" of Panama. Victor was a key part of the vibrant Panamanian jazz scene beginning in the late forties and played alongside Panamanian jazz greats. His particular flavor of jazz was called "Tambo Jazz.” |
| 2006 | Mauricio Smith (1931–2002) | Flautist, reeds player, musical director, composer, arranger, guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist and chorus singer | Mauricio Smith was born in Panama but lived most of his life in New York City. He performed and recorded with Clark Terry, Charlie Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Chubby Checker, Eartha Kitt, Harry Belafonte, and many others. Smith was an original member of the NBC “Saturday Night Live" band and was the leader of the Latin band at the Rainbow Room for six years. He has scored music for movies, and wrote arrangements for Tito Puente and others. In addition to his jazz performances, Smith has performed classically as a flutist and soloist with the Puerto Rican Symphony and has given recitals at Avery Fisher Hall. |
| 2007 | Barbara Wilson | Singer | “Panama’s Ella Fitzgerald,” who spent a lifetime singing in her country. Unknown outside of Panama, this extraordinary jazz singer refused several invitations to move to the US in order to stay close to her family at home. |
| 2008 | 5th Year Anniversary - dedicated to all PJF supporters | ||
| 2009 | Clarence Martin Sr. | Bassist, composer, and arranger | Contributed to Panamanian jazz since the 1940s and have influenced several generations of musicians from many genres such as jazz, classical, and Caribbean music. |
| 2010 | Sonny White (1917–1971) | Pianist | Born in Panama, White lived in the US most of his life and recorded with Billy Holiday the classic song "Strange Fruit." He also performed with many other jazz artists such as Sidney Bechet, Artie Shaw, Benny Carter, Dexter Gordon, among others. |
| 2011 | Víctor Vitín Paz | Trumpeter | A pillar of the Latin jazz trumpet, was a cornerstone of the Fania All Stars for many years. He was a number one call for Broadway shows in New York City and performed with notable figures such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, The Jackson Five, amongmany others. |
Panama Suite (2006) was recorded with students and faculty of both the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory in the band to commemorate five years of the Panama Jazz Festival. All tracks composed and directed by Danilo Perez and produced by Billy Herron and Berklee College of Music.
“The Panama Suite is a three-movement composition that combines urban sounds with Panamanian folkloric elements in a big band setting. It embodies the sound of the next generation of Latino musicians that represents the opening of geographical borders and the opening of the new mind. This state of mind demands both innovation and respect for tradition, with the hope that by exercising creative freedom the human species will find peace, truth, and justice.” – Danilo Perez [15]